Beltane Blessings to you
Dear friend,
I hope you had a good Bank Holiday weekend.
In the northern hemisphere we are currently in the 'Greening Time', where the trees are once again becoming fully clothed in verdant green. This is the time of Beltane which is a cross-quarter festival that sits in between Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice.
Bel-taine, or 'bright fire' celebrates the God Belus (Bright one / Sun God) and welcomes the “rekindling” of the sun. In many traditions and cultures it is a time of divine union and fertility.
The Wheel of the Year is turning as we say goodbye to the cold, dark half of the year and welcome in the warmer temperatures and the renewal of life that is springtime.
The Beltane portal opened at new moon in Taurus on 30th April, known as Solar Beltane celebrated on 1st May (AKA May Day), but which officially fell this year on 5th May (the exact mid-point between Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice). The portal closes on the full moon in Scorpio - Lunar Beltane - 15th May. Included around this special time are also two eclipses - one partial solar (30th April) and one total lunar eclipse (15th May). The effects of eclipses are very powerful and can last up to six months afterwards. We are in a time of acceleration. We must take great care to stay grounded, to breathe deep and slow, and to stay focused on doing one thing at a time, as you move your life forward in the direction of your dreams.
This portal ushers in the sensorial season of blossoming, aliveness, creativity, fullness, risk and opening. We welcome the masculine energy as necessary to ensure the flowering, ripening and harvesting of the seeds sown in the darker times of winter and spring. It’s a time of intimacy, fertility, sensuality, abundance and warmth.
Please find some inspiration here for your life from poet David Whyte.
And some journal prompts to explore -
What is ready to blossom in my life right now?
What am I being called to grow into at this time?
What aspects of self, talents, gifts or projects am I willing to bring into the world at this time?
Is there a risk I am being nudged to take, so that I can bloom and live the highest and brightest version of myself?
I would love to invite you to a few events coming up for us to gather and harness this special cosmic energy.
We are co-creating a beautiful Beltane Celebration this Saturday 7th May.
We will be meeting in person at Colet House in Baron's Court near Hammersmith (very close to Barons Court Tube). My daughter Saiorse will be hosting a Cacao Ceremony from 6pm, I will lead a yoga practice from 7.15pm, followed by Breton Dancing with Chris Parks, and a Singing Circle with Ben and friends. There will also be a yummy vegan curry made by Saiorse's boyfriend, Seamus, included in the ticket price, served after yoga.
The offerings begin with the wonderful 'Work that Reconnects' inspired by the amazing Buddhist Eco-Activist Joanna Macy, led by Ben and Geo at 3pm, but you are welcome to show up and leave any time at this event.
The Work that Reconnects helps people discover and experience their innate connections with each other and the self-healing powers of the web of life, transforming despair and overwhelm into inspired, collaborative action.
I am happy to tell you the Friday Reset will be back on 13th May from 9.30-11am.
Please join us in our zoom temple for a ninety minute yogic immersion into the body using breath, mantra, philosophy, postures and mindful meditation to help fortify yourself from the inside out and from the ground up.
These ancient and more modern techniques have been scientifically proven to cultivate brain plasticity which allows for improvement enhancement and evolution as we walk on the path of awakening towards health and wholeness.
By developing self-mastery, slowly but surely, through our practices, we take baby steps forward in our lives harnessing the power of Shakti (the creative, divine life force) to transform and transmute dysfunctional patterns of behaviour, addictions and inherited conditioning which no longer serve us.
I would love to invite you to an in-person Women's Circle to celebrate Lunar Beltane at the Life Centre Notting Hill, West London on Sunday 15th May from 2-4.30pm.
Each month we gather to deepen our connection with the great mystery that is Life, to attune with our embodied wisdom, to listen to the whispers from our hearts, to seek solace in our shared womanhood, and to nourish ourselves within sacred space.
At this special time of the full moon, we will be exploring ways to reclaim our sexual sovereignty through information sharing and bringing more awareness to harmful internalised misogyny resulting from being raised in the dominating, patriarchal paradigm.
Sexual energy is our sacred life force.
This sacred life force has been...
Colonised, used to control, manipulate, and enslave.
Separated from spirit through religious and cultural programming to be seen and treated as unholy.
Weaponised to create separation instead of union.
Repressed only to create guilt and shame that prevents access to your creative gifts and talents.
Your sexual energy is one of the greatest powers in society that ties all the energies together. Over time, we have been programmed to repress this energy which keeps us from accessing our true power and knowledge of who we really are.
At this powerful time of Beltane you are invited to reclaim your sacred sexuality through ritual, prayer, journaling and carefully chosen embodiment practices. We will harness the power of sankalpa / intention as we welcome in the light and the fire of the great central Sun, and seek to harmonise the sacred union of the divine feminine and the sacred masculine energies within ourselves.
"The holy days are our soul's watering holes where we ritually recalibrate ourselves, express the full palette of colours, our innate wholeness, delight and reverence through self-styled ceremonies and celebrations. They infuse our energy with joy and sublime gratitude and make our chosen actions more potent. They are how we open the weave, bring in all the tender ways of the sacred, and give unbroken ancestral connection back to ourselves." ~ Debra Hall
For those unable to attend the in-person event, there will be an opportunity to gather in our virtual temple for an online version of this Lunar Beltane Ritual. Please join us Monday 16th May from 7.30-9.30pm BST.
Clean and prepare your space, have some cushions, blankets and pillows at the ready, light a candle and maybe some incense if you like.
We start with a grounding meditation followed by a check-in and introductions. We then proceed with some breath work and gentle movement and postures, followed by yoga nidra / guided meditation with some astrology insights with self-enquiry contemplations. You are then invited to write down your reflections and intentions and we finish with optional sharing.
For those of you that have been missing the Sunday Sadhana, it will be back on Sunday 15th May from 9-10.30am. I look forward to being with you again!
I would also love to invite you to "The Unseen World" - a wonderful evening of music, performance and dance that some dear friends of mine are co-creating.
It will be held at Grand Junction, Rowington Cl, London W2 5TF on May 27th 2022 from 7pm - 11 pm GMT.
Join us for a beautiful three-part immersive live concert and dance with Ora Dea to celebrate the launch of their new single, Condor, with remixes by world-renowned DJ Satori, UK sensation Psychemagik, and Sam Morris/Phil Bloomberg on Ibiza's House of Frequency label.
This is the first stop on their 2022 tour which will take them on to festivals across the UK and Europe this summer.
I hope to see you on the dancefloor!
Finally - I am still keen to go ahead with the much spoken of - Summer Solstice Retreat at Seren Retreat Centre in the stunning Gower Peninsula, close to some of the most epic beaches you have ever seen, just three and a half hours from London (by train to Swansea).
I am still negotiating with a wonderful chef so cannot give the exact costings, but can roughly estimate it will be from £550 to £850 for three nights from 23rd - 26th June. There will be glamping / very comfortable, shared yurt accommodation or private / twin rooms with ensuite bathrooms.
It will be a small retreat for up to ten people only. There will be daily yoga and meditation, voice activation, singing /chanting, sharing circles, healing sessions, ecstatic dance, nature connection/ re-wilding, tree communication/forest bathing, walking through forests/coastal paths, beach visits, sea swimming river dipping, fire ceremony and ritual, treatments and much, much more.
Please let me know if this is something you might be interested in - drop me a line to [email protected].